Bonfire/Dancing Meditation

I've been trying this new technique for when I'm trying to meditate at night, and so far I've gotten positive results.
I imagine people dancing around a bonfire, with a few people playing music on the side. I start off by singing a folk song to the dancers, then I join in with the dancing which usually starts off in pairs spinning around the fire, before breaking off and dance alone - occasionally weaving arms as we go. After a while, I begin to physically feel movements which I see myself doing.

The first time I did this, I believe I heard Loki's real voice (it defiantly didn't feel connected to what I was visualizing in my head). But I can't remember what he said!
I then moved on, drawing the rune Gar in my head, and focused on Yggdrasil. Next thing I know is I'm being hauled upwards very quickly, my body was spinning as it went and I wanted to close my eyes and cover them with my hands.

Anyways, I decided to try again last night, to see if the dancing and singing somehow helps to hear Their voices better.
Here's how it went last night:




Rather than being outside like the last time, I found myself in a hall. I was lying on my side on a blanket of fur (wolf fur I think) with a group of men who were sitting around a small fire on the stone floor. I must have looked a bit scared as one of the men nearest myself patted me on the head and shushed me to lay back down.

 I noted that they were in traditional Viking gear:  tunics, boots, belts, some still had their helmets on or their swords propped up by their seats. They also had their packs on the floor nearby. They were all mostly middle aged, some with beards or longish tangled hair. I think there could have been a few women but whenever I tried to focus on them they faded out, so basically I was the only female amongst them.

Giving in (and sensing I was in safe company), I went with the flow. I should point out that some of the things that happen in these meditations/visualizations do so without any input from me; like how I didn't choose the setting, or the lying down bit. In fact, what happened next, and after, just happened without me thinking about it. It was more dream-like than visualization - I was just there to watch and see what my astral self would do next.

After a while of laying on the floor I got up and wandered over to the wooden doors.
Shoving one open, I took a step outside into the night and saw hills all round the hall. Coming up the path was a man in a clock and hat, wielding one massive walking staff.
I nodded to him, "All-Fa'r*", and pushed the door wider to let him past before heading inside myself. I only noticed then that I was in a tunic myself, with a belt round my middle, trousers and boots (probably had my knife and pack somewhere in the hall with the rest) - dressed like a man, although my body was clearly still my own. My instincts said that the men inside were my clan mates and we hunted and fought together; known one another for years.

Odin had seated himself down on a log after one of the men vacated it for him, and I sat down on a space on the other log closest to him. When the men began to chatter again, he beckoned me over and  I went, dropping to a knee, staring at the floor. "All-Fa'r."
"You see the fire?" I looked over my shoulder and nodded. "You like the flames. See how they burn? You should write something about that. About the heat. How it burns. How it consumes. Devours."
I nodded, "Yes sir", filed his request away for later and returned to my seat.

A little while later one of the men leaned back and said "Right, on with the dancing, yes?" and got a cheer in response.
We moved the logs and chairs out of the way, added more wood to the fire and one of the men produced a small harp. Standing at the side he began to play and I sing.
As we did, the doors opened and more people began to flood in (I must have given a sigh of relief when I saw that women were amongst them) and more musicians joined us.

After my song, they started playing a lively, wordless tune (it was more a Scottish Reel than Viking) and I joined in with the dancing. We joined our hands in a massive circle around the fire and moved to our left, then back to the right, then repeated it but in a run. We broke up into couples for quick waltzes around the available space, then joined in for the circle again - and so it went on, switching to different partners each time. As the song continued, we all got more lively; men started to lift me up as we spun about, laughing.

There were two men I distinctly remember dancing with; one had a neat, light brownish beard with slightly long hair and a kind face which was always laughing we I saw him - he was always lifting me up with both hands under my ribs but was very careful despite his build.
The other had short black hair, a small beard (goatee with mustache, thank you Google)  and as we waltzed about, I realized that I wasn't holding a hand in my left but a stump. I knew exactly who he was! He just grinned and hefted me up with one arm. I ended up danced with both of them a lot (in fact, I barely got to dance with anyone else as they kept appearing when it was time to get a partner after the circle bit).

The music ended and we all broke apart to mingle with each other. I stood by the brown beard man, and out of my mouth came "You're different than I imagined you to be." He threw back his head, laughing loudly and looked back down at me (he was bloody tall!) and said, "I'm only like that when there are Giants about." and moved on. I guess my 'astral self' knew who he was before my physical self had clicked. All I can say is, ladies, that Thor is a pretty decent dancer.

I noticed that people were beginning to appear with apples in their hands and as I watched them, somebody pressed one into my hand, but left before I could turn and get a glimpse to check if it was Her.

Not knowing who to talk to, I floated in and out of the crowds and spotted an older lady walking toward me. She was taller, wearing a dress with small metal plates near her shoulders and with chains hanging between them. She also silver blond hair in braids on the back of her head. She glanced at me, smiled and carried on walking. It was only after I lost sight of her did my brain say 'Frigga'. I took a bite of my apple and continued to watch. My hand jerked and I turned to see Thor leaning over and taking a bite out of my apple which I had been holding aimlessly in my upright arm. He laughed and hurried off...then Tyr approached, gave me a kiss on the cheek and also took a bite before running off.

A bit irked about the kissing I blurted out "What am I? The whore?" and someone laughed at my side. It was a young woman the same height and size as me in a dress which had pleats at the front, along with the usual plates and chains. Her most distinguished feature was her rich brown hair which was parted in the middle and was styled in loose curls.
"You're the guest" she said (which didn't explain why people kept biting my apple). I nodded and we watched the crowd. Again, my astral self must have known immediately who she was before I did as she felt the most familiar to be around - it was Sigyn, somewhere between her child aspect and her homely mother-and-wife aspect.
"Why are they playing Scottish music rather than your music?" I asked.
"It what you're most familiar with." She smiled and then this glint appeared in her eyes. Taking my hand, she raised it up and took a bite out of my apple. She gave a massive grin at my shocked face and skipped off - she's defiantly been corrupted by her husband.

Standing by the musicians and watching another dance start up, I heard something that felt separate and more distinctive then the rest: "Why are you ignoring me?"
I turned around and in a shadowy corner was the man himself.
"I'm not ignoring you, Lokes. You're the one hiding."
He hummed and stepped out. He appeared with a round face and short auburn hair...but it kept fading in and out like he couldn't decide on how he wanted to look - it didn't take on anyone I've ever seen or known.... unless that was his plan, to make his own identity that I wouldn't confuse it with anyone else.
I asked, "Can I see your real face?"
"No." Simple as that, what a kill joy.
He stood behind me and wrapped his arms around my waist and shoulder as we watched the dancing. We stayed like that for a little bit before I pointed at one of the logs that had been shoved aside earlier, and we sat down for a bit (More like he sat down, I sat sideways on his lap with my head in his shoulder like a little child with his arms around me. He even started rocking me and humming something.)
He was in a more quiet mood which was odd, especially when there was a party going on. Wouldn't blame him though; I'd been neglecting to do anything remotely ritual like since before Christmas (besides from this astral work).
It was also the second time I had ever heard his voice, and the first time he's appeared to me outside of dreams. I guess we were both more in the mood to just hold each other and cuddle rather than talk - probably more of that sort of thing the next time I see him (hopefully).

I could feel myself getting tired, loosing focus (an hour or two must have passed) and I couldn't keep it up any longer - I even began to shiver in my astral body (real body was warm, under my bed covers ;P) and Loki pulled a blanket off the floor to wrap me up in.
In the end I said I had to head off. He nodded and gave me an extra squeeze before I took a few breaths and opened my eyes.
For lying in bed and simply closing my eyes for two hours, it was fucking exhausting.

It's kind of amusing when some people say that the Aesir simply would never talk or work with the likes of people like me: yet in this sitting alone I met Odin and Thor (again), Tyr, Frigga (only a glimpse), Sigyn, a possible brief brush with Idunn and of course Loki. There could well have been others that I hadn't recognized or seen but who knows (there was a moment where I spotted a blonde male and thought it might have been Balder or Freyr, but didn't follow it up to check).

*All-Father : my accent for the win :P